Commercial Fishing

In 1996, a single vessel from New Zealand was sent down to the Ross Sea, Antarctica in search of new fishing grounds.

They discovered Antarctic toothfish and as news of this untapped resource spread, an international fishery developed. That fishery is now removing around 3,000 tonnes of toothfish from the Ross Sea every year, sold as Chilean sea bass in high-end restaurants around the world.

But toothfish are a key top predator in the Ross Sea ecosystem and removing large numbers will destroy the natural balance that exists there.

The Last Ocean believes the Ross Sea has far more value as an intact marine ecosystem than a fishing ground and would like to see commercial fishing phased out and the Ross Sea ecosystem protected.